are plossl eyepieces good

Now, for my one or two low power eyepieces, I also like to know the field of view provided by that eyepiece. All are good eyepieces and diagonals, and would be excellent for star party use. The original design for Plossl eyepieces has existed since 1860. These eyepiecesproduce a 'standard apparent feld of view' of between 50 and 56 with most set at around 52. Even though the design has existed for more than a century, it has stood the test of and is still today the standard against which other eyepiece designs are measured. In essence the design differences between Kellner and Plossl comes down to the number of lenses within the eyepiece barrel. If you are a glasses wearer and plan to keep your glasses on while you are observing, then you will likely want eyepieces with at least 17 mm of eye relief, and some glasses wearers prefer at least 20 mm. My Baader Hyperion Zoom is my most used and favorite eyepiece. Then there is a pair of 32mm and 20mm TV Plossls which make my binoviewers work well with a Daystar Quark H-alpha solar filter. Higher than 3X is usually reserved for astrophotography. This may be enough for many eyeglass wearers. This is why many telescopes come standard with at least one Plossl eyepiece. Consider something between 35 and 40 mm in focal length with an AFOV of 65 degrees or wider for your lowest power eyepiece for your telescope. While it covers the same range as the Celestron zoom, it offers better optics, better mechanical operation, and a wider field of view. Your email address will not be published. This can be very helpful for star hopping. One of the main drawbacks of this eyepiece, though, is the eye relief. If we combine a Barlow with an 8-24 mm zoom eyepiece, we have an amazing range. This is my all-time favorite eyepiece and the one I use more than all the others put together. You can read a thorough review of Goldline eyepieces here. Low focal ratio scopes deliver the light rays to the eyepiece at an ever-increasing angle as the focal ratio number goes down. SVBONY Telescope Eyepiece Set Telescope Accessory Kit with 2x Barlow Lens 4 Element Plossl Design 6.3mm 32mm 40mm for Astronomical Telescopes. I currently own a Mak127 ( that can't use 2"eyepieces) and a 80ED ( that one can hold 2"eyepieces). Put the zoom on the Barlow for the high range. Omni 40mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. Take the AFOV of the eyepiece (provided by the mfg) in your case 82 degrees OK that makes sense, many thanks. They offer a 52-degree apparent field with clean, high-contrast images. Sorry but I am not offering a configuration and pricing service. The 5-lens-element pseudo-Masuyamas that telesonic mentioned are/were fine eyepieces. Because some objects look better at low power, some at medium power, some at high power, and some at very high power. Most likely it will be used as a loaner eyepiece to go with one of my two loaner telescopes. In my scopes a simple zoom eyepiece like the Celestron 24-8mm or the Baader has replaced the higher powered plossls. Plossls are the clear winner here in most cases, unless you have one of the wider-field 50-degree Kellners. High-quality Plssl eyepieces provide high contrast and sharpness across the entire field of view. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stargazing Help came into existence when some young minds got mesmerized by outer space while camping. A Televue Plssl may be better than a generic one, but the difference is probably not worth the additional cost. Plossl eyepieces have an eye relief equal to about 80% of their focal length. I dont have a specific diagonal to recommend and I am not aware of any specific issues with the one that is included with the scope. Omni 6mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. Sony A7III vs A7RIII Astrophotography: Which One to Shoot Infinity! I have since moved up to a 12 Dob but I use the same eyepieces and the BH Zoom continues to be my most used. Kellner vs Plossl - Comparison table. Le migliori offerte per Celestron 1,25 pollici Omni Plossl telescopio astronomico britannico 32 mm J8R6 sono su eBay Confronta prezzi e caratteristiche di prodotti nuovi e usati Molti articoli con consegna gratis! I often had to drop back to about 180X because of poor seeing and transparency. If that is the case, it will give me another reasonably good, inexpensive zoom to recommend to beginners. Your email address will not be published. The price can run to over $1000 per eyepiece. Like going from a 32 TV to a 65? Stargazinghelp.com is a knowledge hub for professional and amateur astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. And you don't even have to get the full set if you don't want to. Thanks for your comment. You can still get eyepieces, but there are few choices. The components of a Plossl eyepiece are the two groups of lenses. I have Celestron and the Baader Hyperion. As I mentioned earlier in the article, not all Plossls are created equal, which simply means that there are good Plossls and then there are bad Plossls. So perhaps you do your line up like this. Generally, Plssl eyepieces are best suited to Newtonian and fast telescopes. the reality is that today's eyepieces are all quite good, particulalarly in an f/10 telescope. Even if you did need a 4mm focal length (for high powers in an f/4 telescope, of course), neither a Kellner nor a Plossl would have long enough eye relief for that to be comfortably usable! The BHZ in a 2X Barlow will take an XT8 to 300X. But, if you have a plan, you can fill in those slots, working toward a well-balanced set of magnifications. In the beginning, you are not going to know what the atmospheric conditions might be in your area. Come join the newest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors. This is where the second formula comes into play. You might be able to find a Kellner, or perhaps a high-quality Orthoscopic. Poorly chosen eyepiece might give you poor experience and sometimes even make stargazing difficult. Thanks. If you were considering a Meade Super Plossl, in that case just get the regular one also by Meade. 4. Where a difference can show up is that a lower number focal ratio scope will make it harder for an eyepiece to provide a uniformly good, in-focus image all the way across the field of view due to the steeper angle that the light arrives at the edges of the eyepiece with a low focal ratio scope, as compared to a high focal ratio scope. To estimate the highest practical magnification for your telescope, you take the aperture in millimeters, mm, and multiply it by two. If you had to choose 1 low-power 2 EP for chasing deep sky objects (again, at 600mm f7.5), what size piece would you go for? I need your advice on it. Sometimes you want to see a wider field of view to locate an astronomical object like a nebula by using nearby stars. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/. . Not all are Plossls, but excellent eps at f/10. What follows are specific eyepieces that I have tried, own, or have read so many good reports about that I feel very comfortable recommending them. Thanks for a very helpful guide. Imagine you are looking at the moon with each of these eyepieces and consider what you would see. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. There was an old Meade Super-Plossl design that used an additional lens element and could reach a wider field of view. condition as described, a good transaction. Thus the 30 mm eyepiece in a 600 mm telescope produces 600/30 = 20X magnification while with the Barlow, we have 1800/30 = 60X. Plossls and Kellners, like other simple eyepiece designs, have moderate fields of view and tend to have short eye relief as you scale them down to shorter focal lengths. Note that the Explore Scientific 68 and 82 degree eyepieces are also available in 2 size for your low power wide view requirements. However, I have eyepieces with much smaller exit pupils and they work fine. Within the budget-friendly realm are the 6mm and 9mm Goldlines/Redlines (66-degree Ultra-Wide-Angle) for telescopes with a focal ratio of f/8 or longer, and the excellent 58-degree Planetary eyepieces, sold by a variety of sellers on Amazon and by Agena Astro, which come in a wide variety of focal lengths and are optically superb for their price. There are certainly much better options out there but at a significant cost. Other eyepieces of more advanced design can have better eye relief and field of view. Thanks all. Sooooo helpful! If I had to give them all up and keep only one eyepiece, It would be the BH Zoom. However, if you want to optimize your viewing experience, youll need to invest in a better-quality eyepiece. That is a wonderful expression. Wide view and well-corrected view, even in F5 scopes. I am considering buying another eyepiece, maybe 6mm, and a Barlow, maybe 2x, to give me a wider and higher range of magnification. I guess my curiosity is mostly about the diagonal. That is the critical factor. And I continue to read excellent reports on the AT Paradigm and similar under different labels. Many thanks. Some reviews also suggest replacing the diagonal. If you would prefer to buy him $60 eyepieces or even $30 eyepieces because he is only 7 and he can upgrade later, that is also OK. Ah I see what you are saying, I had wondered whether this might have had an impact as Ive seen it mentioned before but dont fully understand it so will do some research, thank you . Celestron 2026 Erecting Prism Barlow Lens Set is well suited as an astronomical viewing lens kit or for enjoying terrestrial sights like nature walks, sporting events, and more! These are often compared to the higher priced offerings. Scott. And the zoom provides every magnification in that range without having to change eyepieces. Every review suggests replacing the 10mm Kellner eyepiece (and possibly 25mm Kellner) that comes with it. There is the 56mm Meade Plossl which magically turns my short FL refractors into their own finder scopes. The quality of a Plossl eyepiece completely depends on the brand and model, so be very careful in our selection. So, even if you have a Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, you should get a good experience from this eyepiece. I often recommend the use of a barlow to achieve the higher range of magnifications. They have good center sharpness but exhibit some field curvature and astigmatism. I really enjoy usingPlssls. If you plan to go longer than that you can get an AC adapter or a power tank. There are inexpensive adapters that will let you use standard 1.25 eyepieces in a .965 focuser/diagonal. Another really helpful article, Ed. It had one of the best fields, edge to edge, in my SCT that I've ever seen. A decent barlow might cost as much or even more. This saves money and helps you shop in an organized manner. It is pretty much worth it for everyone that has a telescope with a 1.25 inch focuser to have a 32mm Plssl. Over $250, I will label premium eyepieces. Typically a Barlow does not add or subtract from this, but there again we have bad Barlows and Good Barlows. Also, as the apparent field of view gets wider, the image will require more correction. Would a higher magnification eyepiece help do you think or am I already pushing my telescope (XT8) to highest sensible magnification I can with BH zoom on setting 8mm and 2x Barlow? Most telescopes come with one or two eyepieces, which gives you one or two magnification options. or a Baader Classic Ortho 18mm with both a 1.5/2x Barlow and 3x Barlow. i didnt have all this simply-put information when i bought my orion st-80 as my christmas present to myself in 2020. i started out with several pair of binoculars i bought used off ebay, then bought the scope. 600 mm / 200X = 3 mm This will be the focal length of our highest power eyepiece. There are some very good choices in this range. As you learn more about astronomy and you gain more experience with time, you may want to move to Plossls or even higher-quality eyepieces. Below 20 however, the eye relief makes it difficult for me and my glasses so Ive been replacing my 5-15 EPs with 82 degree EPs with more relief. Does this sound like something you would recommend based on the telescope I have? After these, we have mostly proprietary designs from various eyepiece companies. Your email address will not be published. You use the 8-24 zoom for the midrange. I just added the 4.7 mm. The computerized pad and motor work on AA batteries which can last you a few hours. It's no surprise that the eyepieces in our Sirius Plossl line are our best-selling telescope eyepieces. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. I dont dabble in AP. 50 150X, no Barlow A very good quality eyepiece for a reasonable sum. We will now discuss the specifications of eye relief and apparent field of view. thanks Ed. As a result, this can cause aberrations in the image as you move from the center of the view toward the edges. But those EPs mentioned were all great too! I have not had an opportunity to test it yet but the general discussions have favorable. My love affair with space began in a field in India at the age of 7, when I looked up at the Milky Way for the first time. I cannot thank you enough! Despite this, I also have some Plossls which are indispensable. Combining a cheap eyepiece with a cheap barlow isn't a elegant solution. The Orthoscopic Plossl eyepiece is for those who are interested in performing close-up work on specimens up to three inches away from them and still get high magnification. Celestron 2026 Erecting Prism Barlow Lens Set is another great choice for those looking to get a variety of magnifications. Here we get into the BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Ferrari of eyepieces. Also, atmospheric conditions can limit how much magnification you can use on a given night. You can use the same eyepiece on planets and deep-sky objects (DSOs). I think some of these kits even include 4mm eyepieces, and thats ridiculous! Some will offer longer eye relief which can be important to eyeglass wearers. Are there any good low-cost 2 EPS out there? These are exceptional eyepieces, and only available on the used market nowadays. For what it's worth: I believe the Omni 1.25 inch 2x Barlow is one of the Shorty Barlows manufactured by GSO. 30 = 60 = 1.3 If you wear glasses when observing, you probably want 15mm or more of eye relief, which the 20mm Plssl provides, but the shorter fl ones dont. 5-Minute Read, How To Increase The Magnification Of A Telescope; 5-Minute Read. The Wiki article(s) were very good if anyone else is confused. I am looking for as much as best I can buy. This number can range from 30 degrees to 120 degrees. We enjoy binoculars for the moon, but having never looked through another telescope, my kids and I do not know what internal reflection, ghosting, vignettes, or diffraction spikes look like! Something in the 30 to 38 mm range with a 65 to 70 degree AFOV. 2019-2023 Little Astronomy. In stargazing, eyepieces are as important as telescopes are. I dont think so. A standard Plossl eyepiece is typically between 20mm to 25mm but can range anywhere from 15mm up to about 40mm in diameter. Do you need a 10 mm planetary and a 10 mm DSO eyepiece? Buy Astromania 1.25" 4mm Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - 4-Element Plossl Design . Understanding and using a Barlow Lens Also worth mentioning i wear glasses which I will wear while observing. If you are looking at eyepieces that are wider than 55 degrees AFOV, you will again need to consider looking at the better corrected, and typically more expensive, eyepieces. 1200 mm FL scope / 10 mm FL eyepiece = 120X, 40 degree AFOV / 120X = .33 degrees (less than 1 full moon wide), 60 degree AFOV / 120X = .5 degree FOV (about one full moon with no space around it), 82 degree AFOV / 120X = .68 degree FOV (about one full moon with a star field around it to frame it). My other eyepieces, ES and Meade 82 degree, stayed in the eyepiece case most of the time. If you are buying your first telescope, and you are choosing between the telescope that includes a Kellner or a telescope that comes with a Plossl, with all the other specs being similar, pick the telescope thats offering you the Plossl, even if its slightly more expensive. I must also warn you that some of these bad Plossls may actually turn out to be worse than any run-of-the-mill Kellner. I loved my Baader Mark-IV 8mm-24mm Zoom+Barlow combo in my 8" EdgeHD. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. Offering a wide 43 apparent field of view, this 40mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece provides extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. Kellner eyepieces use three glass elements in two groups to minimize color fringing. Plssl's were top of the line at one time, and are still being sold today, so that says something too. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They are all 4-element Plossl eyepieces, and most have a 52-degree field of view that is common to the Plossl design. And that is pretty much what Super Plossl are today. With a 130mm-F5 I would use a Plossl 32mm for its low-mag-wide-view. The tradeoff was that each lens surface added another internal reflection, reducing contrast and adding glare. We will use a 100 mm telescope with a 600 mm focal length that only takes 1.25 eyepieces. Am I correct? The zoom can be used with any 1.25 focuser too. Using your example: We will use a 100 mm telescope with a 600 mm focal length and Another way to look at it is that a 30 mm eyepiece in a 3X Barlow works like a 10 mm eyepiece.. Meade went back to the drawing board and they removed the fifth element, keeping the original Plossl design, however, they kept the Super Plossl brand and added some premium materials. This type of eyepiece provides you with wide-field views without any distortion due to its use as an achromatic lens system which reduces chromatic aberrations by combining two lenses made from different types of glass materials together on each surface. In this article, we will only focus on the differences between Plossl and Kellner eyepieces. Here we have very good eyepieces with some extra features. Very worth it for me, as I like to use bino-viewers. That is why I suggest, if you can use 2 eyepieces, you will want one or two low power wide view 2 eyepieces. The Plossl eyepiece is a four-element design consisting of two doublets. This means less time trying to figure out which way your images should be oriented before examining them. A zoom eyepiece works like the zoom lens on a camera. This general purpose design gives good colour correction and an adequate feld of view at reasonable cost and they are often bundled with new telescopes. Lets just say that once you get below F5, it is really hard for the eyepiece to deliver a clean image to the edge. It allows each eyepiece to provide two magnifications. A four-element eyepiece was made by putting together two achromatic doublets with different focal lengths. In the 1990s Meade instruments came up with a new design for the Meade 4000 line similar to Plossl that added a fifth glass element on top of the two pairs (4 total). I usually recommend a 32 mm Plossl type eyepiece as that provides about the widest view you can achieve with a 1.25 focuser. I recently purchased the SVBony 7-21 zoom from Amazon. Orion SkyQuest XT8 Intelliscope Review Omni 9mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. . There is no shortage of accessories for the Nexstar series. In order to help you narrow down your choices, weve created a short guide that can help you figure out what the best viable option is. They include links to them where they can be ordered. If you just want eyepiece recommendations and dont care about the details, Im adding that section right below before we go into the specifications that answer the above questions and make use of the formulas. Prices can run from $20 to $200 so the field is pretty broad. Hi Ed, If we look at the range I provided above, we see that we could replace several eyepieces with one zoom. Again thank you very much for all the information in the page, excellent notes. The 50 apparent field of view is plenty for me. There is one aspect in which a Kellner can actually outperform a Plossl: eye relief. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Though not the Meade. A Televue Plssl may be better than a generic one, but the difference is probably not worth the additional cost. To achieve these benefits, they may use special glass and more costly manufacturing. While eyepieces with relatively complex, proprietary, or bespoke designs are becoming more commonly available in the beginner price bracket, there is often good reason to choose a much simpler design. The TFOV of the Hyperion will be greater than the TFOV of the Plssl, but the magnification will be about the same. The views through it are very impressive, and it always amazes me when I get that one out. Be sure to read the following as you consider your eyepiece purchases. I dont know if they make anything like this anymore, but as a kid, I had plastic slides with images on them (the Milky Way, Horse Head Nebula, etc.) But you need to know, first, if you will be wearing glasses when you observe. Aspheric eyepiece is a variation of Plossl design, it has an anti-reflection coating on the front glass surface to ensure maximum light transmission and will also provide your instrument with better quality images if you need higher magnification levels. Below .5 mm exit pupil, floaters in the eye become more apparent and can be bothersome. SVBONY Direct . The reason a plano-convex lens is good for using with a telescope is that it provides for both magnifying and erecting the images. They also offer a generous 16 mm of eye relief which is most important in the shorter focal lengths. Plossl eyepieces are great. What should one opt for a 2 EP over a 1.25? And new proprietary designs come out from time to time. This can be debated 100 ways, but that is my advice. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. If you just want a quick answer, skip to the conclusion at the end of the article. Good quality. Can You See The ISS With A Telescope? The Plossl was also called a Kellner Type III in some earlier references; in the 1950's, Edmund Scientific sold a "Kellner" eyepiece made from war surplus lenses, but it actually consisted of two achromats in the classic Plossl configuration. It comes with 1.25 Plossls 25mm (26x) and 10mm (66x) eyepieces. Celestron Omni Eyepieces: The Omni series is the most economical eyepiece offering from Celestron. Plossl eyepieces are very good and fairly inexpensive, typically between $25 and $50 each. Ive read, and re-read, and re-re-read this page. That is up to you and your budget. They have a 50-56 degrees field of view, better eye relief, and cost more than Kellners. Over time, you may wish to add a specialty eyepiece here or there, but I would not make that a priority until you have filled out your magnification range. They are just OK, but I dont recommend them, especially in a low focal ratio scope. These have the advantage that the front section with the optics can be unthreaded and threaded on to the filter threads of a 1.25 inch eyepiece. And, in general terms, the higher the AFOV, the harder it is to make an eyepiece that will present a good image all across the field of view, which also drives up the cost. A Plossl eyepiece has a field of view thats very wide, so if youre looking at the full moon or some other object in space with it, chances are youll see the entire thing. A Plossl eyepiece is one of the most decent general-purpose eyepieces that are available on the market. Kellner eyepieces were first designed by Carl Kellner in 1849. If the above guide has helped you understand the terms and workings of eyepieces, scroll up and make a selection from our recommendation list. A 20mm Plssl is probably worth it, if for no other reason than to compare the views it gives to the 21mm Hyperion you have. You see the object in a wider expanse of space with more stars. In 1849, Carl Kellner invented the Kellner eyepiece, which is essentially a Ramsden eyepiece where one lens has been replaced with an achromatic doublet made of two different types of glass. Youll find yourself adjusting these type of factors less than. This wider field of view will make it easier to find your targets, allow you to view larger deep-sky objects, and provide a more immersive experience for everything that you view. Note that the full moon appears to be approximately .5 degrees across, so use that as a mental reference when looking at the numbers. But the conventional way of expressing it is in terms of eyepiece focal lengths. Outstanding job Jack. Required fields are marked *. People may have heard, and rightly so, that Huygens or Ramsdens are crummy eyepieces and that they should get a Plossl instead, and they may believe the same applies to Kellners, but the truth is that Kellners are often good eyepieces. Pay attention to the eye relief, especially if you will be observing with glasses. Remember that visual and AP have very different requirements, so plan on at least two different optical tubes. The BHZ 2 Adapter has threads on it so you can attach filters to it allowing you to use 2 filters with the zoom. However the package includes a 1.25 to 2 adapter so if you have a 2 focuser you can treat this like a 2 eyepiece leaving the adapter normally included with the scope for use with other 1.25 eyepieces. Also, children do not often have highly developed motor skillsso I would avoid the frustration of switching out eyepieces, and consider a zoom lens. Quality this good usually costs a lot more. Yes, Plossl eyepieces are some of the most popular with amateurs and professionals alike. It is as simple as that. The 4000 SWA's were way overpriced for their performance IMHO. As I mentioned earlier in the article, not all Plossls are created equal, which simply means that there are good Plossls and then there are bad Plossls. Here are a few types of eyepieces you may read about and their typical AFOV. Despite one being fundamentally superior to the other in terms of image correction, Kellners and Plossls are generally quite comparable in terms of the image you actually see. Then set your maximum based on your aperture and split it up. For me personally, even though I don't use glasses to observe, I still don't want to dig out the view through a plossl or ortho eyepiece which tend to have short eye relief. This is not a hard and fast rule, just a cautionary note. These low-quality Plossls lack an internally blackened lens barrel with thread baffles and blackened lens edges and sophisticated anti-reflection multi-coatings, all of which are a necessity to produce an excellent image. Perhaps you have read about planetary eyepieces, DSO eyepieces, and other types of specific eyepieces. Plossl eyepiece is one of the reasonable options when it comes to telescope eyepieces for stargazing or astronomy. However, for your extra money you get the finest manufacture, the best polish and coatings available. The Big Bang Optics participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get a good image of any given target at that level of magnification on any given night. Not perfect to the edge but better than the Bresser, in my opinion. It should list what size eyepieces you can use. If you are new around here and you want to get started with the hobby, check out our astronomy for beginners guide or the recommended gear page. Eye Relief: This refers to how close your eye has to be to the lens in order to see the full field of view. These companies rebranded them under their own names. I had a bino pair of TV 20mm Plossls, very fine for high power planetary observation with my long focus 8" Mak, then I also bought the older TV 21mm Plossl, after trying the 21mm I sold the more recent 20mm. There are three types of Plossl eyepiece: the regular, Super, and Orthoscopic. But what are the other differences? We are a team of active amateur astronomers, here to help you with all your astronomy and science related needs this is anything, from reviewing the latest telescopes to be released to talking about gravity and neurons. 4mm Eyepiece vs 20mm Eyepiece. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In the next section, we will talk about the AFOV of an eyepiece. None of my fancy EPs have enough contrast for this application. I saw Jupiter today and its 4 moons but when I looked at saturn I struggled to get a really clear image and it was very small. They have decent eye relief and little curvature of field. Was $38.99 - $99.99 Now $31.19 - $84.99 Compare Orion Edge-On Planetary 1.25" Eyepieces Orion 12 mm Sirius Super Wide Angle Correct Image Eyepiece has a rubber eyecup that holds in light, which enables you to enjoy this powerful telescope eyepiece at night without glare or reflections from any external sources.

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are plossl eyepieces good